Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,730,000 shares, a decline of 15.2% from the February 28th total of 2,040,000 shares. Currently, 2.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 837,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Autoliv Stock Performance

NYSE ALV traded down $4.23 on Thursday, reaching $86.11. The stock had a trading volume of 638,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 782,453. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $94.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.49. Autoliv has a 1-year low of $84.85 and a 1-year high of $129.38.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.21. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Autoliv will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on ALV. StockNews.com upgraded Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Autoliv from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC lowered Autoliv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $109.00 to $100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price target on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.14.

Insider Transactions at Autoliv

In other news, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total transaction of $569,664.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,307 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,305,062.30. The trade was a 19.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total transaction of $178,839.57. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 7,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $720,218.59. This represents a 19.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,253 shares of company stock worth $915,534 in the last quarter. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,146,500 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $670,270,000 after purchasing an additional 641,895 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,761,000. FIL Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,382,265 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $223,433,000 after acquiring an additional 351,876 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Autoliv by 67.9% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 701,994 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $65,840,000 after acquiring an additional 284,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Autoliv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,749,000. Institutional investors own 69.57% of the company’s stock.

Autoliv Company Profile

Autoliv, Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and supplies passive safety systems to the automotive industry in Europe, the Americas, China, Japan, and rest of Asia. It offers passive safety systems, including modules and components for frontal-impact airbag protection systems, side-impact airbag protection systems, seatbelts, steering wheels, and inflator technologies.